Mukesh Ambani: The ICC separates the media rights of the cricket-crazy peninsula

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to auction the media rights to its events separately to the Indian subcontinent, a senior official from the global governing body said it would help create higher value than compete in the largest cricket market with others. .

The cricket craze of the Indian subcontinent – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – generates most of its revenue for sports broadcasters worldwide, with India accounting for the largest share. The ICC also expects bidding to tighten as Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Amban, enters sports broadcasts in markets that have previously seen a bidding war in between.

and Disney India and Sony Pictures Networks India.

The ICC will begin the auction process early next year, the official said. “The Council has decided to allocate India’s rights – broadcasting and digital broadcasting – for the next legal period, starting in 2024. The process will begin after the Indian cricket board completes the auctions.

media rights, “said an ICC official. Bidders can bid for four or eight years under an ICC contract.

ET reported for the first time last month that the ICC is considering the idea of ​​selling rights in the area wisely and for four years instead of the usual eight years. “It’s going to be a transparent process, and the final parts are being worked on,” the person said.

Earlier, the ICC wanted to hit the market in November with its media rights, but changed the plan after the Indian Cricket Control Board (BCCI) announced it would launch an auction of media rights for its largest property. Indian Premier League (IPL) by the end of this year.

“We are not fighting the BCCI or the IPL. We know that the IPL is the biggest asset. Once the IPL benchmark is set, there are at least three or four painful losers who then compete aggressively for ICC rights. A relevant sports game,” the official said. said, alluding to serious competition for rights between Star & Disney, Viacom, which is owned by Sony Pictures Networks and Reliance Industries18.

Amazon, FB can also join

Experts say Amazon and Facebook are also expected to seek sports rights as they plan to grow their video business in India.

The final period (2015-2023) cost Star Sports $ 2.02 billion in global rights. Experts estimate that about $ 1.2-1.3 billion of this should be distributed to India.

“The value of ICC’s media rights in the Indian subcontinent alone could easily reach $ 1.7-1.8 billion,” said Tuhin Mishra, CEO of sports marketing company Baseline Ventures. “These are one of the biggest sports media rights since the IPL and are highly sought after.”

According to Mishra, it is not pointless for ICC to sell Indian rights separately. “Playing in a club with global rights would not have unleashed real value because there are a few global broadcasters. But there are many players in India – established and future – who need ICC rights for their respective sports portfolios.”

The eight-year rights include two ICC Men’s Cricket World Cups (2027, 2031), four Men’s T20 World Cups (2024, 2026, 2028 and 2030), two Champions Trophies (2025, 2029) and four World Championship finals (2025). , 2027, 2029 and 2031). In addition to senior men, there will be events for women and those under 19 years of age.

In a previous interaction, Anurag Dahiya, ICC’s commercial director, had told ET that the governing body’s approach to rights would evolve given the rapidly changing broadcasting and digital industries.

He had added that the ICC might also look for different partners in different regions instead of signing an agreement with one global partner.

However, some media experts and broadcast managers are wary of price.

“Everyone wants ICC rights, but the biggest question is at what price. It’s a matter of pricing and not emphasis,” said one of them.

In addition, the fact that the ICC wants to add teams and has added the United States, the West Indies and New Zealand to host some tournaments has led broadcasters to question the logic.